Though I’d so much rather dwell on the positives from last night’s Knicks loss to Phoenix (the competent drumming play of Fred Jones, my excellent satellite reception, Gus Johnson knowing the difference between big wood and brush Van Halen and Van Hagar), instead, I’m compelled to forward the following meaty tidbit from the New York Daily News’ Frank Isola :

Stephon Marbury was 30,000 feet in the air on Monday when he learned that his run with the Knicks was about to crash and burn.

The controversial point guard went AWOL yesterday, casting his future with the club in doubt and placing the Knicks in a state of chaos after only five games. The Daily News has learned that Marbury made his decision to return to home to New York once he was informed on the charter plane Monday afternoon that he would not be starting against the Phoenix Suns.

According to a person close to the team, Marbury’s air rage began when Eddy Curry, following a conversation with Isiah Thomas, told Marbury that he and Marbury were being pulled from the starting lineup against the Suns.

Upon hearing that he would back up second-year guard Mardy Collins, Marbury marched toward the front of the plane to meet with Thomas. Five minutes later, an enraged Marbury told his teammates that if he wasn’t starting he wouldn’t suit up for the game. But it was something else Marbury said that stunned his teammates in the back of the luxury plane.

“Isiah has to start me,” Marbury fumed, according to the source. “I’ve got so much (stuff) on Isiah and he knows it. He thinks he can (get) me. But I’ll (get) him first. You have no idea what I know.”

It is unclear if Marbury made the same threat directly to Thomas, whose first big move as team president was trading for Marbury.

Though I sincerely hope Stephon shares his inside dirt with the rest of us, he should be warned that Isiah giving Jerome James $30 million  isn’t really a secret.